Lore

We are pleased to be able to provide a 'poetic' map of Emélrenè and the surrounding regions, as drawn by the loremaster (rowánti) Fástred of Beréma. This free expansion complements the Kingdom of Emélrenè and Emélrenè Regional Map products.

Includes three versions of the map:

a single-layer PDF map with certain information not displayed, principally the names of 'special' and minor locations.

a multi-layer PDF map with all information available via PDF layers, including a grid overlay.

a single-layer map entirely in Lakíse and Eméla, the script and language of Emélrenè...

In northwest Trierzon, the triangle between the Gaden and Urven Rivers is an area much visited by Laranian pilgrims. Three adjacent esards on the border between Ilbra and Senedalo — Irulane, Yras and Tiridh — are home to abbeys of three different orders of the Laranian church.

Irulane abbey is the traditionally recognised birthplace of Saint Irula, a Trierzi maiden who lived about six centuries ago.
The story of Irula is well-known in the region. It recounts her chaste love for a lost warrior, how her tears of mourning turned to precious stones, and the miracles of healing which she later performed in Larani's name. The story is an important instructive tale in the conversion of the Trierzi tribesmen to the Laranian faith and is oft repeated by priests today in northwest Trierzon.

The Émel Gálani (Middle Straits) are the waters between the isle of Hârn and the Lýthian mainland. At their narrowest point, they are just 12 and 1/2 leagues across.

Numerous ships ply the routes through the straits, many connecting the port of Chèrafîr on the Hârnic isle of Mèlderýn to those on the mainland. Others pass between the coastal ports of Álagon, Emélrenè and Palíthanè, and beyond to locations farther north and south.

The renowned loremaster Fástred of Beréma has produced numerous charts used by the wealthier pilots and ship captains of the region.

Two versions of Master Fástred's charts are provided here: an ordinary or mundane version, which shows a selection of trade routes all at once, and a much more rare example which shows only those routes that the owner wishes to view at any given time. Only a very few of this second, magically endowed chart are in use.

Tára looked out over the handrail of the Kald Blyst, back towards the Degéla estuary and the rapidly fading outline of the islands and docks of the city of Janôra. It had been good to see her old city, and her family, once again after many years away.

They had left the Janôra docks with the rising tide towards the end of the afternoon watch, and were now making their way south, returning to the port of Kôlvis on the island of Menêma.

The bosun of the Blyst called out orders to the crew as the ship tacked in the freshening breeze. Tára felt the presence of someone at her shoulder, and turned slightly to see her master, the pilot of the Blyst, Ertâr.

A great megalith called the Târensten crowns the south end of a great hill just across the Shârl River from Zýna, in northwestern Lédenheim. It stands about thirty feet high. In attendance about its base are four smaller standing stones, each standing just a bit taller than a man.

The great stone's name was given by the Ivínians who first immigrated into the area in the TR390s and means either 'kings' stone' or 'royal stone'. This name may stem from the faint rings of light which are faintly visible about its crest on clear nights of the new moon. The rings are at their brightest on the 30th of Savôr, the Long Night.

It is possible, though, that the name is simply a translation from an older Yârla tribal name, in which case it might refer to an ancient ruler of the region who caused the five stones to be erected atop the Long Hill. It is likely that centuries ago there was a hill fort located where Zýna now stands, although any evidence of its existence was long ago destroyed during the construction and subsequent reconstructions of the thran and its wallhouse.

Tára looked up from the rutter she had been examining, and saw a handsome young man standing on the other side of the long table she at which she was seated.

“Do you ever stop reading, bookworm?”, the young man queried.

Tára scowled.

“Hêral, do you ever read at all?”, she replied.

“Not if I can help it”, Hêral quipped.

Tára shook her head. Hêral was an excellent sailor, and had a natural talent for navigation by sight, but he seemed totally uninterested in the scholastic aspects of pilot’s study. Tára wondered why he had been sent to the College at all.

Wandering rural travellers, the Night People are well-known, little understood, and widely hated or feared. The night people travel in family groups in black wagons festooned with brightly coloured flags and painted images. Periodically, they stop to trade with local villagers, and occasionally they tarry for a while, hosting nightly revels until the authorities drive them on because of an increase in local crime.

The night people are known for their strange powers. Usually there is a seer among them, and they are great gamblers, dancers and tellers of tales. It is considered bad luck to kill a Night Person; the murderer is almost always found dead within a short time. Common folk look upon the Night People with a mixture of fascination, dread, and loathing. Landless and unprotected, they are the lowest of the low, yet the possess strange powers and always have thrilling tales beyond the local area.

It has been a great year at Keléstia Productions. As a special thank you to all our customers, we are pleased to be able to present an illustrated PDF version of our short story "Márden's Tale". This story, and the developing stories of Captain Márden's crew, provide an introduction to the forthcoming Maritime Series set of publications.

We look forward to providing you all with more material for HârnWorld, Venârivè, and other locations across Kèthîra in 2011.

Tára looked up at the roof of the temple’s massive main hall. It was studded with countless jewelled 'stars', interwoven with metallic patterns that were so complex that following them often led one to confusion. She had often considered these patterns, and wondered at the work that had gone into them, as well as their meaning.